Adventures by the Coast
by SaltwaterJanuary
Summary: Adult supervision is usually recommended for adventures, but they did not necessarily take that advice.
1. Chapter 1: Formation

_Adventures by the Coast_

 _Chapter One: Formation_

"…WAY out, by the buoy WAY out there. There was a shark big as me- or biggar! You wouldn't believe it if you saw it, mates."

"That must've been cool!"

"Was it scary?"

"'Course not, I'm used to seeing them arand."

"I suppose that must be very neat."

"'Course!"

She stood up from kneeling on the undersized dock and watched the sun anxiously.

"I've seen much worser you know."

"Like what?" He looked up at her as anxiously as she had stood.

"Oi, creatures."

"Creatures?"

"Creatures as long as the seashore."

"Don't you mean whales?" Cream squeaked.

"Oh, no. Not whales…" she put a hand to her head, shielding her sight from the sun. "They 'ad teeth long as a shark's."

Charmy laughed at her, "Shark's teeth are small!"

Marine looked solemn. "True, but these were sharper."

Cream and Charmy exchanged glances, both hoping the same thing.

"Ai, I'm just joking, mates! Don't get so pale-faced."

"Pfft," Charmy crossed his arms. "I wasn't scared."

Marine laughed. "Your face said otherwise. Though, y'know, I actually _have_ seen things larger- except it was a whale. Your fortunate I'm not afraid of sea creatures."

"I told you! I'm NOT afraid! And why does it matter if you are or not?"

"Because _someone_ has to be the leadah."

Charmy clapped his hands. "We're going somewhere?"

"Yeah! 'Course! You wanted to see the sea tunnels, right?"

Charmy nodded, eagerly.

Cream looked between the two of them. "You mean you two are going yourselves?"

Marine shook her head. "No, you're gonna go with us…right?" She held out a hand to the confused rabbit, but Cream showed no signs of moving.

"With…no permission?"

Marine shrugged. "I do it all the time, what's the harm? The islanders won't mind. Come on, it's really beautiful."

Cream stood reluctantly. "Okay…I suppose." She sighed when she looked out at the sunset she'd have to miss. She looked at Cheese, hovering by her, and saw he was just as unsure.

Charmy flipped mid-air as he often did. "Come on, come on!" He landed and ran across the slippery dock, not even noticing Cream's shout of," Be careful!"

By that time he was already on the shore, fortunately.

Marine waved a hand. "Let's go, Cream." She, too, ran across the dock.

Cream followed, shoulders sinking. At least she remembered to walk.

Marine caught up to Charmy and motioned to the small village. "We'll have to get some supplies from the sheds, first. You up for sneaking by the grown-ups, mate?"

Charmy saluted. "I was pretty much raised by a ninja. What do you think?"

"You're hired!"

"Yay!" He began to slowly creep towards the village.

Cream turned to Marine nervously. "Why does he have to sneak by if they are okay with it? Should I go ask my mother?"

Marine shrugged again, and Cream did not feel much more reassured. "Don't worry, mate. It's just more fun to sneak, is all. Your mother will be fine with it."

Cream muttered a half-hearted," Okay…" as she turned towards the shore to glimpse the dying sunlight. Cheese landed on her shoulder, chirping sadly.

It wouldn't be long and night would approach- and she _knew_ she shouldn't be out there then. "Alright…as long as we aren't out long, Marine."

….

Charmy, meanwhile, made his way around one of the small housing structures to see the town campfire lit- and several people he happened to know gathered around it.

He knew they had come to meet up and discuss something – he wasn't sure what. Whatever it was, he wasn't interested. He was just happy to be "dismissed" to play with the others.

The beach was more of his thing.

But there they were- a few koalas, Blaze, Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Espio, Vector, and Vanilla- all doing their talk with no marshmallows involved. As long as there were no marshmallows at the campfire, he wasn't going.

What _was_ he doing anyway?

Yeah, right. Getting the supplies from the sheds. He assumed he'd know what those supplies were when he saw them.

He hid in the structures' shadows and slowly made his way around the adults- without them even knowing. He tried his best not to accidentally let his wings buzz, for that would be a dead giveaway.

When he reached the sheds, he cautiously reached for the latch and flipped it soundlessly. How he managed to be this quiet he didn't know. He tried not to think about it until the coast was clear.

He opened the door wide enough for him to slip inside, and when he did he shut it behind him a bit carelessly. He hoped no one noticed.

It was very dark in there, but somehow he managed to sort through the things and take what he thought they needed. At least he hoped so. He shoved the "supplies" into one of the canoeing bags and then made his way out.

As he snuck through the shadows, he was surprised to find that none of the adults had noticed him at all. Whatever they were talking about had their full attention. At the moment, he didn't really care. He broke out into a sprint and ran back towards the shore.

….

It wasn't long before Marine was leading the two of them down along the shore, and they walked a lot farther than they thought they'd need to.

"Hold it! If I got all this stuff, why can't _you_ carry it?" Charmy complained.

Marine marched indignantly. " _I'm_ the leadah, and _you_ two are the followahs, so you have to listen to me! 'sides, you wanted to go."

"Yeah, but I still got this stuff like _you_ told me!"

"But _you_ carry your big crocodile friend, what's a little bag?"

"It's different."

"I'd like to know how-"

"Please stop it you two! We'll never get anywhere like that," Cream interrupted.

"That's true. Listen to your teammate, Charmy."

"Ugghhhh."

"Be quiet, now. I need to concentrate on leadaring."

Charmy sulked quietly at this, but at least she didn't notice.

Cream looked back where they had come, and the way the sky darkened was beginning to bother her. She could see all the more clearer the light cast by the campfire, now a good distance behind them.

She wondered if it was the time to turn them back around…but Marine wouldn't have that, that much she knew.

It was then that she heard a shrill voice call out," We're here!"

She looked ahead of her, and saw that the "sea tunnels" were before them.

She ran to catch up, Cheese trailing behind, and nervously watched them beginning to get curious.

The caves themselves were not that tall, only about four feet in height, and they went into the side of a rocky cliff, worn away by the ocean tide.

They were quite interesting at least, and in a way they were beautiful- as Marine had called them. Maybe more creepy in the dark, though.

"Whoa, have you-have you been inside of them before?" Charmy stuttered.

"Why?" Marine laughed. "Are you scared?"

"What? No, 'course not. But…do you expect us to, to, umm…"

"Well, it's what you came for, eh?"

Charmy and Cream exchanged glances, both probably wondering the same things.

Cream turned back to face her. "You're very fearless, Marine, but…I'm not sure it's a good idea."

"Shucks, we'll be fine! Besides, there may be something great in there! Treasure or mermaids or something!"

Charmy almost perked at the idea. "I may not want there to be mermaids…but imagine Vector's face if I come back with treasure!" He started laughing at the thought of it.

"Exactly….so come on. It's worth a shot, right Cream?"

Cream looked at the sand, tilting her head slightly- a nervous habit. "Well…I-I suppose. As long as we come back in a few minutes."

"Sure we will!" Marine motioned for them to follow her as she made her way towards it.

Charmy pulled the bag further onto his shoulder and walked forward.

Cream stood there for several moments.

She heard Marine's voice echo ," Come on, now!" but she didn't watch her enter. It all seemed so dangerous. She knew she shouldn't go, but-

"Come on, Cream!" Charmy called, turning towards her before following Marine in. "It'll be fun!"

A dark place at night, exploring some caverns, did not seem like fun to her at all.

But, then again, it _could_ be. She laughed it off a bit, and followed. Maybe she was being silly. They'd be back soon anyway. What was the worse that could happen in that time?

 **A/N: I know I should stop adding multi-chapters to my list, but I couldn't pass it up. Eh, when imagination calls right? This shouldn't be a long story- 5 chapters maybe. As long as things don't change too rapidly.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I am bad at Australian accents.**


	2. Chapter 2: Leaders and Followers

_Adventures by the Coast_

 _Chapter Two: Leaders and Followers_

They were all very glad Charmy had managed to get some lanterns, because they lit them as soon as they started going deeper. It was too dark now to see ahead.

Marine held the lantern out with one arm, and with the other one she traced the cove wall. The rocks were damp and uneven, so she imagined that the waves must eventually reach them. She didn't mention it to them, but she kept it in the back of her mind.

"Croiky! This place is so cool, isn't it, mates?"

"I'll say!" Charmy exclaimed. He flew closer to the ceiling, the bag still dangling from his left shoulder, and with his right hand he followed the ceiling's curve.

Cream walked between the two of them, keeping to herself and barely muttering a "Yes, they're certainly pretty."

The safety of them all was her main concern, and so far that concern was going totally unmet. Remembering her past adventures, she took a breath and regained her sense of adventure. Pretending like it was for a good cause.

"Will there really be treasure in here?" she asked, a bit louder than before. Her voice was magnified with a low echo along the walls.

"'Course there will be! Or, at least something worthwhile. Your leadah knows what's she's doing," Marine replied. She sounded indignant, and Cream realized why.

"I didn't mean it like that, Captain Marine. I'm sure you're right…what I meant was, do you know when we'll find that treasure?"

Marine was eased by this use of "captain" and unstiffened her shoulders. "That's the spirit, matey! We'll reach it soon enough. Eh, in fact, let me check the echo 'ere."

She stood still for a minute, took a breath, and shouted as loud as she could," CAPTAIN MARINE!"

The echo lasted for at least a few moments, which wasn't the most heartening for the two "mateys". But the Captain found it hopeful at least. "'Ey, Pirates hide their treasure the deepest."

Charmy sighed and landed feet-first onto the stone floor suddenly. Cream screamed in surprise, sending the echo off again.

Marine turned to face them. "What are you two complaining about?"

"Nothin', Sir Captain!" Charmy quickly exclaimed.

"Good."

"Except that there's no way I'll get in bed in time and I'm tired of carrying this old bag," he muttered.

"That's not our priority, mate," was Marine's only reply. She turned around and kept walking, not checking on Cream at all.

Cream sniffled and took Cheese from her shoulder (as he had been perched since they entered the caves) and carried him as they followed.

Charmy groaned but followed them anyway. "Couldn't the Captain _at least_ take the bag for his buccaneer?"

He didn't get much of a response.

Charmy walked closer to Cream's side. "Hey, why is she mad again?"

Cream looked down at her shoes and wondered if they had been that soggy before. "I think we may not be the best followers. I didn't think we said anything too bad, but….I-I don't really know."

Cheese chirped defensively.

Charmy shrugged, though she didn't notice. "Maybe she's just over-reacting. Or whatever that's called when people have bad reactions ."

Cream looked over at him. "You think? What should we do about it?"

"When Espio says Vector starts over-reacting, he says we're supposed to talk it over."

Cream brightened at this. "That's a great idea!"

Charmy nodded proudly, as if he'd created the idea himself. "Yep! Except that sometimes they end up fighting it out."

"Oh." Cream squeezed Cheese closer to her. "I'm not so sure…"

Charmy fluttered his wings, already into the idea. "Alright, you talk, I'll fight!" He flew off as fast as he could, as he noticed that the lantern light was disappearing gradually.

Cream cried out, trying to speak, but by then it was too late and she took off running.

* * *

"Alright, Marine, I've gotta do something!"

"What?" She spun around, lantern clanging angrily.

"You think you're the boss? Well, let me tell ya somethin'! We didn't get dragged here by you to carry your luggage," he dropped the bag on the cavern floor.

Her eyes arched a bit at his defiance.

"You've gotta stop being so bossy!" He finished, stomping and secretly hoping to provoke her.

It worked wonderfully.

"You wanna fight, dontcha?"

He nodded with enthusiasm, which only made her more angry.

"Fine, then!"

To be honest, she had no clue how to fight hand-to-hand, and it was even more difficult in the dark.

She took the first move with her tail, and swung it pretending like she knew how to.

He had a somewhat better idea, and easily flew over this attack and pinned her.

"Mutiny! Why did I ever-"

"Stop it, please!" Cream was standing before them suddenly, her chao ready to battle if needed.

The two components looked up at her, one's head struck against the floor, and the other over her, head tilted.

"Charmy! You didn't let me finish!"

He nodded. "Yeah…I know." He hung his antennaes, hoping to be easily dismissed.

"I was going to say, there's no need for fighting. Things would be much easier if we could just talk it over like you first said."

He knew it was true, and with uneasiness he climbed off and stood.

"Ok, yeah, maybe."

Marine stood up, arms folded and lips pouted.

"So, Captain Marine," Cream made sure to dip her chin slightly and look up with her eyes. It had proven useful before. "Would you please forgive us both? We know we were very bad, but we'll try our very best now."

Marine thought for a moment and then only "hmphed" in reply. "Speak for yourself, it's _him_ I am angry at."

"Charmy…"

Charmy knew what was coming, and folded his arms.

Cream resumed her previous posture. "Will you _please_ apologize to our Captain?"

He slowly approached Marine, and slowly said," I'm sorry."

"I don't accept."

"Why not?" Cream asked.

"I don't like his attitude."

"Come here, Charmy."

He trudged his way to her. "What?"

She whispered back, "Lower your chin and look up at her a little."

"Why?"

" _Please_ just do it."

He turned around and did just that. "Please? I'm sorry."

She heaved a sigh. "Alright…"

"Really?" He sprang up in surprise.

"Yes, mate."

Cream cheered, high-fiving them both trimuphantly.

Marine picked up the lantern again. "Come on, then. No time to waste."

"One thing, though," Cream whispered.

"Yes?"

"Would you please be a little less…demanding?" Her head lowered and eyes gazing up.

"Alright, alright," and with that, she turned and started walking.

Charmy resumed his role as bag-carrier, and with less anger he walked.

Cream followed them, Cheese perched on her shoulder once more. She smiled to herself, proud of the team again.

Until she heard a shattering noise, and the lights went out.

 **Disclaimer: I am bad at Austrailian Accents.**


	3. Chapter 3: Elsewhere

_Adventures by the Coast:_

 _Chapter Three: Elsewhere_

By this time the ones who had gathered for the meeting were getting exhausted too. Not with trying to get along with each other, but with the late hour in general.

Sonic huffed when Blaze had finally come to a silence. "So, in short, you're saying there's some kind of chaos activity in the caves, and you're not sure what it's caused by. It could be a chaos emerald, but if that's true…it's being used or controlled by something, given the waves it's emitting."

"Yes," Blaze nodded in affirmation.

"So…we go in there tomorrow and find out?"

"Hmm…it will be risky because of the closed-in space, but it must be done that way it appears," Blaze said.

"Unless we find a better solution before morning, that is," Espio remarked.

"True, but will we?" Sonic asked.

Nobody answered.

"I guess only sleep will tell," Tails shrugged. "We ought to call it a night for now."

Everyone nodded in agreement to that.

"Yes, I best go get Cream. She's been awful patient this long," Vanilla stood up from her place and walked out towards the darkened shore.

"Oh, er, we'll go with ya. We gotta get Charmy too, anyway," Vector suggested. Espio had to agree since the other had already followed her, in his own hasty, love-stricken way.

He followed silently.

Blaze sighed and stood up as well. "I guess _I_ better go get Marine. Otherwise she'll insist on staying on the beach all night like last time."

Sonic laughed at her comment and decided to accompany her. "Tails, Knuckles, why don't you two go back to the house and sleep? You look a bit tired."

Tails shrugged and looked over at Knuckles- who was already asleep on the seat anyway. He tapped him a few times to get his attention, and as he awoke he refused to admit that he was actually sleep.

Sonic laughed and left the two to their own selves.

* * *

As he arrived where the others were, he found they were all searching for…something. He wasn't sure what.

Vanilla was looking longways across the shore and squinting to see some kind of silhouette, but in the darkness there was nothing.

"Oh dear. Oh dear, where is she?"

"Cream's missin'?" Sonic asked as he walked to her side.

"Yes, we can't find any of them. Oh, I knew I should've told her to come back at sunset…" She looked down at Sonic with concern in her eyes.

"Don't worry, I'm sure we'll find them," Sonic reassured. He was pretty sure anyway, right? They always found things eventually.

Espio was looking out towards the ocean, standing beside Vector. "You don't think he actually _tried_ to go fly over the ocean do you?"

"I'm _pretty_ sure he's smarter than that…but he was talking about it, wasn't he?"

Espio nodded with melancholy. "But they wouldn't all be gone, would they?"

"Not unless he flew them over too…" Vector muttered.

They both sighed in sync.

"Let's hope not."

Everyone looked over when Blaze groaned forcefully.

"What is it?" Sonic asked.

"Marine."

"Where?"

"Not here. Earlier, she could have _possibly_ overheard me talking about the cave activity with some other villagers…and, knowing her, she probably went. She probably convinced them all, unfortunately."

It made sense, but everyone hoped it wasn't true.

"Do you really think that…" but Vanilla didn't finish. While Cream was very sheltered, she was also very adventurous. That was one downfall of being with Sonic…

"I'll go get the flashlights…" Vector offered, already walking to it by the time he said so.

They all knew where they were going.


	4. Chapter 4: Bursting into Battle

_Adventures by the Coast:_

 _Chapter Four: Bursting Into Battle_

In the cave, however, there was a sudden commotion caused by the abrupt darkness.

"Okay, what happened?"

"I dunno!"

"What are we going to do now?"

The last question proved the hardest to answer. They couldn't see anyone around, or any of their surroundings. Marine, who had still been walking until the lantern dropped, suddenly ran into a cave wall. "Croiky! Who steered me this way?"

She hit the ground in surprise, looking around in the darkness with nothing to see. "Mateys! Mateys, where are ya?"

"I'm not quite sure, Captain Marine," Cream replied. She stood with Cheese exactly where she had stopped- not daring to move from it.

"I think I'm near where you are…somewhere," Charmy's voice said. But the echoes of the cave made it impossible to know if he was right or not.

"A'right! Everyone, stay where you are, I'll-I'll think of somethin'," Marine called. For the first time her voice was nearing actual concern. Nothing seemed to be going the way she planned.

"How did the lantern break in the first place?" Charmy asked. He settled to sit criss-cross on the cavern floor, feeling he deserved the break anyway.

"Uh…I- well, I may have had a part in it," Marine stuttered.

"Did you drop it on accident?"

"Ay, I-I did."

A guilty silence settled between the two, until it was broken by a sudden forgiveness- driven mostly by the unwillingness to fight again. "Eh. It's okay. You didn't mean to."

"I-I shoulda been more careful."

"Maybe, but anyone could have made the mistake. Just be more careful next time, okay?" Cream joined in.

"I will…I just hope I don't forfeit my captainship in the end."

"I think you'll be alright."

There was another silence, followed by," Sooo, what do we do?"

"Hold on, matey. I think I see-" before she could finish, an aqua-colored light came into appearance in their view.

"What is that?" Cream asked. Cheese squeaked in uncertainty.

"It's a light…but it's moving around," Marine muttered. "Ey! Is anyone there?"

When no reply came, she took it as a sign of good fortune.

"Let's try 'an get to it. Maybe we can use it as a light to get to the treasure."

"I'm not sure," Cream whispered. "If it's moving like that, it might be dangerous."

"That's why I'll handle it for ya, mate." With that, Marine ventured toward the light and with a cautious hand she grasped it. "Lookey! I got it!" Yet as she tried to bring it down to her level, she realized she wasn't the only one holding it.

"Well, what are ye doin' in here, little raccoon lass? These caves be no place for ye."

Marine's eyes went wide with horror. "C-cap'n Whiskers…I-I thought you were long gone."

"Ye can't get rid of me so easily. Ye, on the other hand…" He snatched the aqua light from her reach. "'Sides I have an emerald whereas ye have nothin'."

Marine threw a scowl at him, somehow hoping it would drive him off. "Not nothin'. I have my crew, and I have myself."

By this time, her 'crew' was standing at her side, Charmy staring into what he could see of the pirate's eyes, and Cream prepared with her chao.

"So, a powerful gem versus some three little kids in a dark cave. Sounds like a comedy if I ever heard one," Whiskers taunted. "Save yeselves the trouble and be gone."

"We can't just let you take the emerald! Why would we back off now?" Charmy exclaimed.

"For yer good, that's why."

"My training can't be for nothing!"

"Yeah!" Marine piped up.

Whiskers pushed his way through their blockade and sprinted for the entrance- knowing what they did not.

"Wait! You scaredy-cat! You can't just escape!" Marine went running after him, followed by her crew.

"I already did."

Though it took awhile to reach the entrance, Whiskers finally made it before them. Marine, Cream, and Charmy followed him as he rounded his way to the outer backside of the cave. What they did not expect was to find Whisker's crew already there, and not only that but their cannons set in the rocks. Whisker stood beside his crew and laughed at the shock that had overtaken his adversaries.

"You were prepared, weren't you?" Marine gasped.

"A _good_ pirate must always have his backup," Whiskers teased, petting his whiskers as custom.

"But we have backup," Charmy added.

Marine leaned over to him and whispered," We do?"

He nodded. "Of course. It's called improvisation."

Without warning, he stung one of Whisker's crew members that was nearest to him. Marine took this as a clue that they were all bursting into battle, and that was what she did. She summoned her water powers and dished it on all the cannons she could, hoping it would rust them. Cream flew overhead and began bombing them with Cheese, causing much confusion throughout the crew.

Whisker growled. "We be playin' this game too!" He drew his sword, a signal to all of the others to do the same. They couldn't reach their enemies overhead, but they went straight for the captain- who had no chance of aerial escape.

Marine ran backwards from them, doing her best to blast them with her powers. Charmy and Cream tried to deter them away from their captain, Charmy swinging in after them, and Cream Chao-bombing their heads. This knocked a few of them out, but the remaining few were quick.

Whiskers slashed ever closer to the raccoon, the chances of hitting the target dangerously close.

"If I'd had my pirate sword with me, I wouldn't be running backward like this!" Marine exclaimed.

"Oh I'm sure you wouldn't," Whiskers replied sarcastically.

Charmy took a moment in the air to fly closer to Cream and murmur. "What should we do?"

Cream didn't reply for a moment, her ears flapping rampantly, and her chao flying just as hard. "I-I'm not sure. But we can't panic."

"I know, I know. I'm not panicking. It's just we-"

Suddenly they heard a scream, and they looked in horror, thinking for certain their captain had been lost. Instead they found that Marine was bringing up a larger amount of water energy in a last attempt to lose the pirates. The bright, pulsing blue of the energy lit up the entire area for a moment, before fizzling out as she threw it at the pirates.

In that burst, they were suddenly knocked out. Marine fell back onto the sand, panting. Cream and Charmy landed by her side, exhausted at that point as well.

"Well, they're out for now," Cream said, extending her hand to Marine.

"G-good." Marine took her hand and stood. "I tell ya, not because I can't handle it or anythin', but just for next time…someone else can take a turn being Captain."

Cream laughed. "Well next time let's not go somewhere so…closed-in and dangerous."

"How was I supposed to know it would be that dangerous?" Marine laughed.

"Well…"

Before Cream could answer, Charmy had pried the Chaos Emerald from Whisker's pocket, and he held it up for them to see. "Hey, at least we got an emerald out of it."

"Croiky! Wait till they all see that…" Marine exclaimed.

"He didn't even try to use it. He's dumber than I thought," Charmy replied.

"Maybe he was using it, or he was _going_ to-" Cream suggested.

"But he never got to, and he won't ever get to," Marine said, crossing her arms.

"Yes, but we better get out of here before they get up," Cream advised.

"True," the others responded.

They began to walk off together, but they didn't get far until Marine gasped abruptly and stood in her tracks.

"But what about the treasure at the end of the cave? Now we'll never know! Now we've got to go back and-"

Charmy raised the emerald towards her. "We've got all we need, Captain. Don't push it."

Cream nodded. "We'll have to save it for another day."

Marine shrugged and gave in, continuing to walk with them. "I suppose so."

But really they were both hoping that she would forget to ever go back.


	5. Chapter 5: Conclusion

_Adventures by the Coast:_

 _Chapter Five: Conclusion_

Meanwhile, the search party continued across the shore, gradually working its way towards the caves.

"What are you going to do if it turns out Marine _didn't_ lead them all out here?" Sonic muttered to Blaze.

Blaze didn't look at him as she responded, for some reason squinting ahead. "We'll see when we get there, but for now I think we have our best chance here."

She looked over to Vector, who was slightly leading and therefore carrying the brighter flashlight. "Hey, can you point your light to the right a little?"

He did so, and saw three figures walking towards them, squinting now in the light.

"Cream!" Vanilla called, already heading towards her daughter.

Cream ran blindly towards the voice, and into her mother's arms. "Hi, momma! I'm sorry I was gone so long!" she squeaked.

"Where were you?" Vanilla asked, looking into Cream's now opened eyes.

"In the caves. Marine said that there might be something exciting in there, and…and I'm sorry that I didn't stay."

"Oh, dear. It's alright. I was just so worried that you'd gone missing. Please be more cautious next time though."

"I will."

Charmy and Marine reached the others more reluctantly, but made their way to their waiting partners.

"Heyyy, sorry I wandered off, boss," Charmy said slowly.

"Mmhmm."

"But you should've seen it! We went in the caves, we fought pirates, we even got a Chaos Emerald!"

He held it up and both of his partners were silenced.

"Oh," Vector replied," well at least you made a profitable wandering…"

"Can we actually keep it?" Espio asked.

"Probably not, but I'll sure as heck try…"

Marine had less going for her. "But I brought them back alive!"

"Yes, but you also lured them off and could have killed them," Blaze responded.

"Yes, but I _also_ temporarily stopped Cap'n Whiskers!"

Blaze raised her eyes at that. "Well, that is _something_." She crossed her arms. "But it's not an excuse."

Marine sighed and slumped her shoulders. "Well, alright."

Sonic, standing nearby, laughed at their conversation. "Hey, at least they solved our mystery, Blaze."

"That is true…"

"So can we keep the emerald then? Since _we_ found it?" Marine piped up.

"Sorry, but I think Knuckles might want it for safekeeping," Sonic replied.

Vector sighed and handed it over to Sonic. "Fine, but you better give it to him."

Sonic smirked back in reply. "Of course I will."

They all began their walk back towards the village, each of them talking or listening about the different sides of the journey. It had been a very different night than they had all planned, but at least it had a good ending…for everyone except Marine, who had to clean all the boats in the harbor for the next week, according to Blaze.

 **FIN**

 **A/N: I was planning to have this story finished before Summer ended…but at least it's only early Autumn. A recent beach trip gave me the enthusiasm to finish this off- and as such I wrote the last two chapters on the journey there and back. ;)**


End file.
